The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) will hold a public meeting in Washington, D.C., USA, on Nov. 30, 2011, on microbiological safety issues relevant to cosmetic products.

CFSAN's Office of Cosmetic and Colors, the CFSAN office convening the meeting, is responsible for the federal regulation of cosmetic products in the United States. The purpose of the meeting is to provide stakeholders an opportunity to present information to the agency regarding a variety of cosmetic microbiological safety issues, including microbiological testing of cosmetics; types of preservative systems and how to test their effectiveness; the identity and prevalence of microorganisms that pose specific health risks in finished products; routes of exposure to microorganisms and the corresponding infective doses; product and packaging characteristics that affect microbial growth and risk of infection; consumer subpopulations that may be at greater risk of infection from cosmetic products; adverse events associated with microbial contamination of cosmetics; and areas where FDA guidance may be useful.

The meeting will be held from 9 AM–5:30 PM on Nov. 30, 2011, at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 L'Enfant Plaza S.W., Washington, D.C. USA. The meeting is open to the public; however, attendees are encouraged to register in advance because seating is limited.

Public meeting attendees are encouraged to register online. For general questions about the meeting, to request an opportunity to make oral comments or to request special accommodations due to a disability, contact: Juanita Yates, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA, 1-240-402-1731, juanita.yates@fda.hhs.gov.